Trump promised that the U.S. will soon bomb Iran’s Peakacs mountain

- Axios reporter Barak Obama

U.S. President Trump said on Tuesday that the U.S. Army will bomb Peakacs Mountain in Iran—a deep underground site that the U.S. and Israel believe may be used for nuclear activities.

Why it matters: Trump’s remarks at the start of his meeting with Lebanon’s president at the White House showed that he currently has no interest in a ceasefire and is moving toward escalating attacks against Iran.

What Trump said: Trump said: “We will probably target this area very soon. There’s nothing they can do about it. You know, I usually wouldn’t say something like this. If I thought they could do something, I would never have said it. But we will target that area soon, and we will do it with very, very great force.”

Trump said the U.S. believes Iran “may” have stored centrifuges in this site, but added, “We don’t have it officially on the record.” He said that even if Iran had done such a thing, “it doesn’t mean anything as long as [it has] no [nuclear] materials.” Trump added that Iran does not have such materials.

The Wall Street Journal reported Monday that Israel has provided the U.S. with information suggesting that Iran transferred thousands of centrifuges into Peakacs Mountain.

But: It is unclear whether the U.S. military has bombs capable of penetrating the rocks above these deep underground facilities. However, a U.S. attack could damage the site and block its entry tunnels.

Latest developments: U.S. officials say Trump is approaching a crossroads in the Iran war and is considering two options.

Option one: pursuing a new 10-day ceasefire aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz. Qatar, Egypt, Pakistan and other regional mediators have asked Trump to follow this path.

Option two: launching a large-scale joint military operation with Israel in an effort to force Tehran to capitulate.

Current situation: On Tuesday, Trump showed that he is leaning more toward the second option. He showed no interest in resuming talks with Iran.

Trump said: “They really want to meet, but as long as they’re not ready to meet in a meaningful way, we have no interest.”

Trump emphasized that the U.S. “has not finished its work with this war in any way.” He said Iran has yet to “see anything. We’ve been kind to them.”